"Oh My"

Post-good kid, m.A.A.dcity Compton is still gangsta, but reluctantly so. Excluding YG’s rambunctious yarns, the city has become a crucible for street proxies like Problem and Pharrell-mentee Buddy, observers adjacent to gangland culture who evade the battle instead of fighting it. Dreamville West rep Cozz is among the growing number of South Central rappers acting as hood emissaries—unaffiliated locals using rap to inspire diplomacy in L.A. war zones. They aren’t all good kids, but they’re all delivering careful critiques of the milieu created by gang militancy, some as spectators, others as unwitting accomplices or reformed bangers. The rapper whose vision aligns closest with the current Compton mandate is Boogie, who exercises watchfulness on his yowling breakout "Oh My", which is gangsta rap for the rehabilitated from a commentator well versed in street dealings.

Boogie’s lisp retreats into a blistering, exaggerated howl of surprise: "Oh My Goodness!" It’s how you’d react if he told you his story; how he reacted when he got shot up with a .40; how he appraises slum life and its throes. His voice isn’t built for projection, but he refuses to be swallowed up by Jahlil Beats’ cascading synths—and the same determination he raps with he raps about, peaking out from behind throbbing 808s with a steely resolve. The cadence is almost nasal as he doles out insights like, "It ain’t no Jordans when seeing them dudes camp/ Know niggas who got work from selling their food stamps." Ever in-tune with his hood, Boogie tethers tumultuous tales from his past to its destructive nature with ease. Blaring but not overbearing, "Oh My" looks back in disbelief, finding solace in survival.